What is the preferred method of handling critical and semi-critical items?

The preferred method of handling critical and semi-critical items involves sterilization, which is essential for ensuring the highest level of infection control. Critical items are those that penetrate soft tissue or bone or contact the bloodstream, while semi-critical items come into contact with mucous membranes.

Sterilization, particularly through steam or chemical vapor, effectively eliminates all forms of microbial life, including resistant spores. This level of processing is necessary because critical and semi-critical items pose a higher risk for transmitting infections if not properly sterilized. By requiring these items to be sterilized, it ensures that they are safe for use in procedures where they could contact areas that either expose or compromise the body’s defenses.

The option suggesting that heat-sensitive critical items may be disinfected instead of sterilized does not align with the strict guidelines for handling these items, as sterilization is always recommended when feasible. Moreover, intermediate-level disinfection is insufficient for critical items, and unwrapped items can lead to contamination before use. Thus, sterilization remains the gold standard in infection control for these categories of instruments.